Iv'e had a set of jazz bass pickups in one of my basses for 6 months now,and it seems to be draining the battery quickly for some reason,no lead is left plugged in so it's not that,it's the new modular connect type,so no soldering needed,if i install a new battery(duracell)it will go down from 9.5 volts to 7.5 volts in a matter of 2 weeks without the bass being used at all,has anyone had this problem with these pickups?iv'e checked the connections and all seems fine,and they sound great,,any advice guys,thanks.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
EMG battery drain?
- Thread starter Cutty
- Start date
You do have a stereo output jack that turns the battery on when plugged in? If so there's probably a short circuit between the battery negative and ground.
mech
mech
Using the proper stereo jackthe battery should be completely removed fromthe circuit when the cable is unplugged
Yes it's stereo jack that came with the pickups,i bought them new,i can't see any leakage when testing with my multimeter,so i'm puzzeld by this.
The drain is probably too small for your multimeter to pick up.
Re check the wiring. Sounds like you have connected the wire for the ring and the sleeve the wrong way around. The battery negative should be connected to the ring terminal. If you connect the battery negative to the sleeve terminal the pickups will be powered on permanently because the shield ground (metal control plate, cavity shielding and so on) will connect the battery negative to the pickups.
Re check the wiring. Sounds like you have connected the wire for the ring and the sleeve the wrong way around. The battery negative should be connected to the ring terminal. If you connect the battery negative to the sleeve terminal the pickups will be powered on permanently because the shield ground (metal control plate, cavity shielding and so on) will connect the battery negative to the pickups.
Have found the problem,it's faulty jack socket!!sleeve and ring permanently connected somehow,anyway,i had a spare and fitted it so hopefully all will be well,will keep you updated if there is still a problem,thanks guys.C.
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
Do you have copper foil shielding? (PIC?)
Is the body of jack touching it?
Do a continuity test between the cavity ground, the ring vs the sleeve (separately).
Is the body of jack touching it?
Do a continuity test between the cavity ground, the ring vs the sleeve (separately).
Yes it has a copper shield,the body is touching it,the sleeve has contact,the ring doesn't.
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
Just though i'd add that......
I have had myself and a few customers bring me in basses that had that sort of issue. Was worth a shot.
Is the battery negative on the sleeve (that is grounding)?
If so, then the battery is still receiving ground and still drains with or without a 1/4" jack.
You could verify this by using a multi-meter (at DC voltage, with the 1/4" out), if you are reading voltage from the positive of the red wire (battery positive) and the lug that the battery ground wire is attached, then you may want to swap the lugs for ground, or isolate the jack from the foil.........
I have had myself and a few customers bring me in basses that had that sort of issue. Was worth a shot.
Is the battery negative on the sleeve (that is grounding)?
If so, then the battery is still receiving ground and still drains with or without a 1/4" jack.
You could verify this by using a multi-meter (at DC voltage, with the 1/4" out), if you are reading voltage from the positive of the red wire (battery positive) and the lug that the battery ground wire is attached, then you may want to swap the lugs for ground, or isolate the jack from the foil.........
the battery in my Tbird pro was draining every few days.
At first I thought it was a **** batch of batteries, then thought it was my amp. Finally bit the bullet and dropped my bass off at a local shop. Apparently the plug-in for the 9v was faulty and was constantly draining the power, even if it was jut hanging on the wall.
A new $5 battery harness and $10 worth of labor and my Bird is back and works perfectly.
I havent noticed a ton of Canadians on here yet, let alone anyone from Cornwall, ON. But Melody Music Centre is fantastic to deal with! They fixed my bass and did exactly what I asked of them (which is harder to find now a days for some reason) They even offered to lend me a beautiful Ibanez SR Premium 5 string while they tooled around with mine.
At first I thought it was a **** batch of batteries, then thought it was my amp. Finally bit the bullet and dropped my bass off at a local shop. Apparently the plug-in for the 9v was faulty and was constantly draining the power, even if it was jut hanging on the wall.
A new $5 battery harness and $10 worth of labor and my Bird is back and works perfectly.
I havent noticed a ton of Canadians on here yet, let alone anyone from Cornwall, ON. But Melody Music Centre is fantastic to deal with! They fixed my bass and did exactly what I asked of them (which is harder to find now a days for some reason) They even offered to lend me a beautiful Ibanez SR Premium 5 string while they tooled around with mine.
I did your DC test and found i still had voltage,so i removed the jack socket and cut away the foil,so there is no contact with the jack socket and the foil at all,did your test again and it is now only sending voltage to the circuit when the 1/4 jack is pushed into the jack socket,i hope all should be ok now,thanks very much for your valued help,C.
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
That's what I had suspected. You are very welcome........any time I can help.
This also will help anyone that likes to shield and use the sleeve for battery ground, be mindful of your shielding/jack........ Best bet for battery ground is the ring, if the foil is touching the jack.
This also will help anyone that likes to shield and use the sleeve for battery ground, be mindful of your shielding/jack........ Best bet for battery ground is the ring, if the foil is touching the jack.
